McLaughlin to Lead Pan Am Cup Team, Preston Also Named to Staff

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -
UCSB head men's volleyball coach Rick McLaughlin will serve as the head coach of the U.S. National Team that will compete at the 2009 NORCECA Pan American Cup in Mexico. In addition, former UCSB head coach Ken Preston is a member of the staff as the team's manager.

The Pan Am Cup begins June 15 in Chiapas, Mexico.

This wasn't the team that was originally supposed to be competing. However the H1N1 virus - AKA swine flu - outbreak in Mexico caused NORCECA to change the dates of the event from the first week in June to the third, which gave some players a golden opportunity for international experience.

"I think it's a great experience for all of them to get some international playing time at that level," said McLaughlin. "We are going down there with the intent to win, absolutely. But the other intent is to get some experience and get them ready for the A team."

Six other NORCECA teams are competing at the Pan American Cup. The United States is in Group A with Canada and Dominican Republic. Group B contains Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, and Puerto Rico.

The competition begins Monday, but the United States won't play its first match until Tuesday against Dominican Republic at 6 p.m. in Chiapas (4 p.m. PDT). The U.S. Men will play Canada on Wednesday at 6 p.m. (4 p.m. PDT).

The team captain will be setter Tyler Hildebrand (Mesa, Ariz.), a 2006 graduate of Long Beach State, where he was a three-time first team AVCA All-American and a three-time first team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) selection. He was a member of the U.S. teams for the 2003 (bronze medal) and 2005 World University Games.

Since college, Hildebrand has played club volleyball in Puerto Rico. He also played on the 2008 U.S. Men's Pan American Cup team that won the gold medal in Canada.

The team's other setter, Brian Thornton (San Clemente, Calif.), comes from UC Irvine, which he helped lead to the 2007 NCAA men's volleyball championship. He was a member of the 2007 World University Games team that won the bronze medal in Thailand.

McLaughlin said he will also look for team leadership from outside hitter Robert Tarr (Cape Canveral, Fla.), who finished his career at Long Beach State in 2007 and since then has played at the 2007 World University Games and on professional club teams in Puerto Rico and the United Arab Emirates.

Tarr was also a member of the 2008 Pan Am Cup team.

Other players on the team with a few years of experience under their belts are opposite Matt McKinney (Santa Ynez, Calif.), middle blocker Nate Meerstein (La Porte City, Iowa), and outside hitter Nils Nielsen (Fallbrook, Calif.).

Veteran leadership will be important, as several players on the team are still in college or just finished their college careers.

Libero Dustin Watten (Long Beach, Calif.) just finished at Long Beach State while opposite Dean Bittner (Lakewood, Calif.) has one more year with the 49ers. Middle blocker Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) just completed his senior season at Penn State. Libero Isaac Kneubuhl finished at Cal State Northridge in 2008 while outside hitter Eric Vance just finished his career with the Matadors.

Middle blocker Austin Zahn (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) will be a junior with USC next season.

"I don't think we're real big, but they are good all-around volleyball players," McLaughlin said of his team. "They have good skills and show some speed, too."

Earlier this year UCSB Athletics unveiled the BE Great initiative. BE Great is dedicated to maximizing leadership ability, strong on-campus interaction, and general welfare for all 450 student-athletes and Intercollegiate Athletics staff at UC Santa Barbara. BE Great also focuses on personal and career development, diversity, and social awareness, along with ensuring academic success. UCSB has a 92% student-athlete graduation rate.